


Worth It

by somethin_random (wordsaremyfaith)



Category: The OC
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-05-31
Updated: 2005-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4620030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsaremyfaith/pseuds/somethin_random
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In short: Oliver is a huge creep about Seth and Marissa, Seth is naive, Marissa is annoying. Set around s1 episode "The Links"; goes AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth It

**Author's Note:**

> Mentions of/allusions to: Ryan/Seth, Oliver/Marissa, Seth/Marissa, Ryan/Marissa, Seth/Anna.

Most nights, Oliver dreams about Marissa.

But some nights, when he stumbles into bed exhausted, hardly noticing his surroundings, he dreams about Seth.

And occasionally, he dreams about them together. Seth kissing Marissa wetly as she runs her hands through his dark curls (a “Jewfro,” he vaguely remembers Seth calling it).

They’re both so trusting and innocent. Marissa thinks she’s jaded because she’s OD’d, but Oliver could tell her a thing or two about jaded. He fancies himself a modern-day Gatsby, stalking Marissa because there’s just something so innately fascinating about her that Ryan can’t see.

But Gatsby was never derailed by a tall, dorky boy with gangly limbs who rambled a lot. And Oliver just can’t help it; he’s fascinated with Seth, too.

He peeks into Seth and Anna’s room at midnight. They’re sleeping on opposite sides of the bed, and he feels guiltily pleased about that. Anna’s a nice girl; she and Seth compliment each other in a way that Ryan and Marissa never will. That’s why he can’t quite hate her.

Seth snores, which makes Oliver smile. Anna seems to be sleeping peacefully, but Seth is tossing and turning. Oliver starts to quietly close the door when he stirs.

“Oliver? What are you doing, man?” Seth whispers, rubbing his eyes.

“Nothing,” Oliver whispers back.

“Oh, I get it, trying to be stealth. That’s cool, dude. I’ll just, um, go back to sleep.” He sounds disappointed.

“You can come hang out if you want,” Oliver tells him, at which Seth practically bounds out of bed (like a rabbit, Oliver thinks) and follows him back to the kitchen, where Marissa is going through the cabinets manically.

“What are you looking for?”

“Bowls,” Marissa proclaims, at which Oliver smoothly opens a cabinet and sets one in front of her. “Thanks.” She opens the freezer and starts rummaging around.

“Um, Marissa,” Seth says carefully, “What are you doing?”

“”I want ice cream! I have, like, a huge craving for it.”

“We don’t have any,” Oliver says mournfully. “I’ll call room service.”

Privately, Oliver thinks Marissa is rude, but he’s too polite to tell her so. The boys exchange a glance over Marissa’s head and he can tell Seth is thinking the same thing.

***

Room service, it turns out, doesn’t have ice cream, so the three teenagers drive to the nearest supermarket. Oliver’s car is big enough for them to all squeeze in the front, with Seth in the middle. They’re tight against each other.

Oliver likes this arrangement.

On the way, Marissa asks, “Have either of you ever been in a relationship where you think you’re in love, but at the same time, something’s… I don’t know… missing?”

“How could anything be missing? You’re with _Ryan_ ,” Seth explodes. Oliver secretly wants to bash Ryan’s head in.

Marissa stares at Seth. “Seth. Are you secretly gay?”

“No,” Seth sputters. “Why would you even think that? Dude, I have Anna. And Summer. Well, I don’t technically _have_ Summer, but she’s hot. And so’s Anna. I am all about the breasts. Yes.” He nods emphatically. Oliver thinks he’s protesting too much.

Marissa rolls her eyes. “ _Sure_ ,” she says, laughing, but drops it.

Oliver leans into Seth slightly, hoping the other boy won’t notice. He doesn’t, and Oliver mentally sighs in relief.

When they get to the store, Marissa whines about having to get out of the car. Oliver is a bit irritated in spite of himself. Seth says, “We came here for you, dude. That’s really screwed up.”

“Fine,” she whines, getting out of the car. “Oh, I don’t have any money.” As Oliver forks over a twenty, he starts to wonder what he saw in her in the first place. Sure, she’s hot and innocent, but she’s also whiny and rude. Besides, Seth is just as innocent and possibly hotter, but _his_ quirks are endearing.

“Holy Moses, she’s annoying,” Seth says as soon as Marissa is out of earshot. Oliver nods sympathetically. “I mean, we’re doing her a favor, dude. What the fuck?”

“I know,” Oliver says.

“I wish she’d just go away,” Seth grumbles. “She always screws things up.”

“Like what?”

“Like… I don’t know. Ryan and I could have been a lot closer if she wasn’t always distracting him. He is so whipped.” Seth sighs, and Oliver catches the wistfulness underlying Seth’s words.

“Seth?”

“Yes?”

“I think you’re lying.”

“About Marissa? Why would I lie? She’s ridonkulously obnoxious, dude. I don’t know what Ryan sees in her…” Oliver senses a ramble coming on and cuts Seth off at the pass.

“Not about her. About Ryan.”

“What do you mean?” Seth asks warily. Oliver is well-versed in avoidance tactics. “Seth.” His tone of voice makes Seth jump a little.

“All right, man, no need to get upset. Fine. You’re right. I have a stupid crush on Ryan. Or I did. Not so much anymore, because Ryan’s been, like, a ginormous tool lately, but fine, I used to. I keep liking people I shouldn’t, but, dude, so not my fault. I’m not used to people paying attention to me and –”

Oliver grins. Seth is so easy to read, like a board book for little kids. “Seth.”

“What? Stop saying my name like that, dude, it’s kind of creepy. Like you know something I –”

Oliver leans over and kisses Seth, pulling Seth’s face to his. Seth makes a surprised noise, but doesn’t pull away. The kiss is wet, but not gross, somehow, and it’s so much better than his fantasies about Seth and Marissa. Seth is better with him.

Seth breaks the kiss to whisper, “Marissa will be back soon,” against his lips, which Oliver can’t argue with.

“So, was the shopping trip worth it?” he whispers back.

“Totally,” Seth replies in quiet awe.

The whole way home, Seth keeps touching his lips reverently and probably subconsciously. Oliver smiles slyly, knowing that he’s in control.

It’s his favorite feeling.


End file.
